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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23021926">Every Rose Has It's Thorn</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catharrington/pseuds/Catharrington'>Catharrington</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Harringrove Week of Love 2020 [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stranger Things (TV 2016)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Harringrove Week of Love 2020, M/M, Post Season 2, Secret Admirer, Steve Harrington Has a Crush on Billy Hargrove, even tho he kicked his ass, very soft very short</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:14:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,109</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23021926</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catharrington/pseuds/Catharrington</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve should have done something with those roses he tried to gift Nancy. Something, anything, please God anything, other than letting Billy get a hold of them.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Billy Hargrove &amp; Steve Harrington, Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Harringrove Week of Love 2020 [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1654594</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>99</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Harringrove Week of Love</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Every Rose Has It's Thorn</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is day 4 prompt secret admirer for hwol. These were originally on my tumblr before i created this account. All are stand alone plots and do not have to be read in any order or together even.<br/>thank thank thank you so much for reading!!!! :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s very late at night when Steve finally gets the Camaro back in the Byers’ driveway and children tumble out of it like clowns from a clown car. Max stayed behind as they all rush into the house, she’s gripping the car’s window with both hands.</p><p>“He’s still knocked out!” Lucas yelled from inside and Max let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.</p><p>Steve is right beside her, having tucked the keys into the drivers side visor, and was waiting with equally baited breath. They both trudged inside to see Billy still drooling on the living room floor.</p><p>Dustin looked from Steve to Max then back to Billy. “Are you sure you guys are okay? What if he wakes up for round two?” He asked.</p><p>Steve stood watch with his hands on his hips. “Wouldn’t matter, but I really doubt it. He looks super far gone.”</p><p>Max looked down at Billy as she spoke. “We have to bring him home, I’ve already got a lot of explaining to do… I don’t want to be in any more trouble.” Her words were a little sad, but Max said them as a state of fact. Like she already had her mind set on it and nothing was going to change it. The four younger boys looked at each other without a word.</p><p>Steve took that as his cue. Stepping forward, he crouched down over Billy’s splayed open legs to wrap his arms around his waist. Steve locked his hands on his wrists and made sure to lift with his knees as he tried to pull Billy up off the ground. </p><p>Thankfully, he lifted easier than Steve imagined. Maybe Steve was just stronger than he was giving himself credit for. He lifted Billy so his arms and chest were hanging over Steve’s shoulders, and his legs were pressed up against Steve’s legs. He groaned and moaned from the effort, but Steve was sure in his grasp as he turned to carry him out to the porch.</p><p>Max wordlessly lead to the BMW still parked right outside the door. She opened the back seat door and moved quick so Steve could lower Billy into the fabric cushions. As gently as he could, Steve placed Billy’s head and shoulders down and then used his legs to push him further up the seat. </p><p>When Billy’s mud covered boots were tucked in and smearing over the expensive seats, Steve closed the back door.</p><p>From the porch the gaggle of boys were watching them two. Steve was winded but he swallowed thickly before offering anyone a ride. They all shook their heads in unison, even Will who lived there and obviously didn’t need a ride.</p><p>Steve just shrugged. He gave a last wave and goodnight before finally getting into his car. Max was sitting in the passengers seat with a sour look on her face. The car continued to be quiet and sour as Steve drove the two Hargrove kids home. </p><p>Max was good with directions, she told him the quickest way, and Steve watched from the corner of his eyes as her cool exterior was starting to crack with little yawns.</p><p>With the BMW speeding down the highway, Steve dared to look up into his rear view mirror and steal a glance at Billy. He almost groaned out loud again as he saw his back seat. </p><p>Billy had twisted in his slumber and must have reached down to the floorboards because he was cradling Steve’s discarded bouquet of red roses to his chest. The petals were a little squished but still the bouquet was impressive and huge, even against the broad size of Billy’s chest. He had them tucked up under his chin, smelling into them, and their red rose color looked ridiculously pretty against his red shirt and the steam of blood coming from his busted nose. </p><p>Steve had to catch himself as he thought of that. Pretty wasn’t a word that would describe Billy Hargrove. But as he laid there unconscious, his long dark eye lashes closed against his freckled cheeks and his chin pressed snugly into a dozen roses- Steve could only think of the word pretty.</p><p>And he kept thinking of the word over and over again until he almost didn’t hear Max announcing they had to turn. He did, thankfully, and drove up to park in the driveway.</p><p>Max left the car first. She went up into the house to ready her parents with a planned story. What the story was that was up to her. And Steve was happy for that because his brain wasn’t wanting to work properly after he braved turning around in his seat to actually look at Billy cuddling a bouquet of roses like a teddy bear.</p><p>Max returned from the door of her house and flashed a thumbs up sign. Steve was rather reluctant to let this moment alone with Billy go, but he followed and meet Max at the back seat door.</p><p>“Wow,” she breathed as she noticed Billy’s new prize through the window. “Sorry about… your flowers?” She asked.</p><p>“Well,” Steve opened the door slowly like he didn’t want to wake anyone up, “they were a dumb idea, I’m not really using them anymore.”</p><p>She just nodded at the meager amount of information. “You guys got jumped,” she changed the topic. Now she was letting him in on the cover story. “Some guy who was mad Billy was dating his girl. Something lame like that. A whole group of them. And you are Billy’s friend, by the way. Sorry.” She said it all quickly, wincing as she she said the friend part. Then she held the door open fully as Steve reached inside.</p><p>He considered moving the flowers out of Billy’s hands, he should drop them back onto the floor and forget all about them, but he couldn’t bring himself to touch them. </p><p>Instead he reached inside and held Billy with two arms around his ribs. Steve pulled him close to the edge of the seat and then lifted so Billy’s chest was flush against his own. One of Steve’s hands went down to lift under his legs. He lifted Billy almost bridal style from the car, but he was unceremoniously slumped over Steve’s shoulder, crushing the flowers, and maybe still drooling.</p><p>Max was leading him again up to the porch. Steve was happy he held Billy like this only because it made taking steps much easier. And not because he could smell the spiced wood cologne Billy used in abandonment very well this close. </p><p>The night was creeping up his back. Cold waves of exhaustion reminded him how Max was yawning earlier and that made his muscles very tired. But Steve pushed that all back and powered himself to carry Billy up the steps and into the house.</p><p>Inside the door, Susan, Max’s mother, was waiting for them. Her hands pressed white knuckled against the wood almost trembling. She lifted one slim hand and wordlessly pointed to another room just a little down the hallway. Max pushed past her and opened the door so Steve could follow inside.</p><p>Billy’s room was so obviously Billy’s room it hurt. The place was simple, almost bare, but yet messy in the scattered clothes and crushed beer cans. Blankets on the bed were unmade, folded over to one side. They let Steve daydream about Billy just waking up and pushing them off himself. But he shook that dream from his mind.</p><p>Steve laid down Billy as gently as he could into the bed. The springs creaked with the weight but held, and like that Steve’s job was done. </p><p>As a reward Steve let himself have one last look at Billy’s sleeping form curled against the roses he bought before he turned to leave.</p><p>Very quickly, Steve realized he wasn’t followed into the room by Max, but was followed by an older man. Billy’s father, Neil, if Steve could remember his name. Swallowing thickly, Steve stepped away from the side of the bed and walked towards the door where Neil was waiting for him.</p><p>“Got yourselves banged up?” Neil’s voice was not friendly. He nodded towards Steve’s face, there were cuts and a growing bruise there Steve didn’t need reminding about.</p><p>“Yes, Sir.” Steve kept his reply simple. And he knew to use the word sir when he made these types angry.</p><p>“Over some whore?” Neil’s anger was boiling under his words, and his words were pointed directly at Steve like daggers.</p><p>They were standing close together, Steve had let himself get his back against the open door and Neil was standing against the frame on the other side of the door way, but with his stare Steve felt like he was trapped.</p><p>“Yes, Sir.” The cover story was more important.</p><p>Neil wouldn’t back down. Steve wasn’t giving him anything to work with but he just wouldn’t let off. “What’s with the flowers?” Neil didn’t look over at Billy as he asked.</p><p>That question was the hardest for Steve to bullshit. He willed the blush away from his cheeks as the answer of ‘their mine’ tried to ghost from his lips. Instead he stuck to the script.</p><p>“That girl. She was like a… a…,” Steve let his eyes drift back over to the bed longingly, “a secret admirer. Tried to be at least. You see how that turned out.” Steve chuckled low as he turned back to Neil, but the older man wasn’t laughing. He took a deep breath and that seemed to cool the fire inside a little.</p><p>Neil lifted one hand to clap heavy over Steve’s shoulder, fixing the young boy with a hard glare. But Steve has seen this before, the fathers of the girls he never brought back on time, and his own father trying to make him realize what a missed opportunity not attending tech college was. It was an intimidation factor, plain and simple, and Neil was really good at it. </p><p>Steve felt himself slip back into his King character, blinding Neil with a smile that was completely nonthreatening. Neil was going to have to try harder if he wanted to get a crack out of the great King Steve.</p><p>From the hallway Susan broke out into her own smile, and started talking in a hushed voice. “Thank you, so much, for bringing him home.”</p><p>Steve looked over to see Max and Susan wearing matching worried looks. Steve questioned for a moment why was everyone scared in this house? The thought made Steve tired again as he imagined Billy having to deal with this intimidation every day he came home.</p><p>“Thank you, what was your name again?” Neil was using his iron grip on Steve’s shoulder to lead him out of Billy’s room and back into the hallway.</p><p>“Steve Harrington,” he pulled the honey laced words like a magician pulling flowers from his sleeve, with a smile.</p><p>“Steve Harrington,” Neil repeated. They stopped walking at the front door. Steve was ready to leave such a depressing house. “I think I’ve meet your father.”</p><p>Steve walked out into the porch. The chill air was nice against his flushed skin. Billy’s room had been stuffy and a little smelly, but it was homely and comfortable as well. Steve was sad the smell of cologne and cigarettes was getting blown away.</p><p>He turned back to look at Neil. “Yeah it’s a small town. My dad’s got a big name.”</p><p>Neil’s fake smile faltered a little. Steve just lifted one hand up in a goodbye salute before stepping down off the porch. </p><p>The burgundy BMW was siting with the back door still open. Steve shut it and went around to get behind the wheel as quick as he could. Before he pulled away he noticed a bright red thing sitting in the middle of his back seat. Looking around his seat Steve found a discarded rose head. </p><p>For a second he didn’t want to touch it. Didn’t want to break the spell. But he reached out with long fingers and lifted the rose very softly from the seat. He felt it for a moment, the petals velvet under his skin, and under them a small part of the green stem remained. Steve held his breath and tucked the rose into his jacket pocket. </p><p>He was going to have a lot to talk about with Billy tomorrow morning. </p><p>He had a lot he was going to hold over his head, for sure. But more importantly there was so much he wanted to ask. </p><p>Now he just drove off back to the highway and got lost in a heavy metal song on the radio.</p>
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